Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) akiana, Assing, 2011

Assing, V., 2011, A revision of Geostiba of the West Palaearctic region. XXI. Eight new species from Turkey and the Caucasus, a new synonymy, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (2), pp. 1135-1158 : 1148-1149

Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) akiana nov.sp. ( Figs 33-37)

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: "TR [10], Antalya, Akdağlar, 11 km S Kızılcadağ, 36°55'54''N, 29°59'24''E, 1633 m, Polster, 16.II.2011, M. Schülke / Holotypus Geostiba akiana sp. n. det. V. Assing 2011" (cAss). Paratypes: 3, 5: same data as holotype (cSch, cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.4-2.7 mm. Coloration: head reddish to dark-brown; pronotum and elytra pale-reddish, often not distinctly contrasting with the head; abdomen reddish, with segments VI-VIII or V-VII more or less extensively infuscate; legs yellowish; antennae pale-brown, with the basal two antennomeres yellow to reddish-yellow.

Head approximately as wide as long; punctation sparse and extremely fine, barely noticeable; interstices with very shallow microsculpture, glossy; eyes weakly convex and approximately half as long as postocular portion in dorsal view ( Fig. 33).

Pronotum with barely noticeable sexual dimorphism; punctation extremely fine; microsculpture shallow, but somewhat more pronounced than that of head.

Elytra with rather weakly pronounced sexual dimorphism, approximately half as long as pronotum.

Abdomen slightly broader than elytra; tergites III-IV, and VII with sexual dimorphism; punctation fine and sparse; interstices with distinct, but shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with very narrow rudiment of a palisade fringe.

(with fully developed secondary sexual characters): pronotum appoximately as long as broad, posterior margin broadly convex; elytra shallowly and more or less extensively impressed, with weakly granulose punctation, and with short and weakly elevated sutural carinae usually extending along anterior half of suture ( Fig. 33), rarely extending beyond middle; abdominal tergites II and III with smooth median tubercles, both of them situated close to the anterior tergal impressions; process of tergite VII stout and rather short in lateral view ( Fig. 34), parallel and apically rounded in antero-dorsal view; median lobe of aedeagus approximately 0.26 mm long, cristal process narrow and weakly projecting away from ventral process in lateral view ( Figs 35-36).

: pronotum weakly transverse, posterior margin slightly more weakly convex than in; elytra unmodified; spermatheca as in Fig. 37.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is a latinized adjective derived from the name of the mountain range where the type locality is situated.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: UsingthekeyinASSING (2009), G. akiana would key

out at couplets 91-93. In order to account for both G. burdurica and G. akiana , the key is

modified as follows:

91: abdominal tergites III-IV or III-V each with median tubercle.................................91a

-: abdominal tergites III-V unmodified; for three species from Hatay, Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş with very indistinct and ill-delimited elevations on tergite(s) (III-)IV follow this alternative.....................................................................................................94

91a Species from southwestern Anatolia (W-Antalya, Burdur) ..........................................91b

- Species from northeastern and central southern Anatolia (Rize, Mersin).......................92

91b On average slightly larger species, 2.2-3.1. Head dark-brown to blackish, always much darker than the reddish pronotum and elytra.: pronotum weakly oblong, posterior margin strongly convex in the middle ( Fig. 26); elytra very shallowly impressed at most, with more pronounced sutural carinae extending along anterior 2/3 of suture ( Fig. 26); process of tergite VII more massive ( Figs 27-28); median lobe of aedeagus larger, approximately 0.28 mm long, cristal process obliquely projecting away from ventral process ( Figs 29-30).: spermatheca shaped as in Figs 31-32. Burdur: Katrancık Dağı (to the southeast of Burdur)......................... G. burdurica nov.sp.

- Smaller species, body length 2.4-2.7 mm. Head reddish to dark-brown, often of similar coloration as the pale-reddish pronotum and elytra.: pronotum with barely noticeable sexual dimorphism, as broad as long, posterior margin broadly convex ( Fig. 33); elytra shallowly and more or less extensively impressed, with less pronounced and shorter sutural carinae ( Fig. 33); process of tergite VII less massive ( Fig. 34); median lobe of aedeagus smaller, approximately 0.26 mm long, cristal process weakly projecting away from ventral process in lateral view ( Figs 35-36).: spermatheca of different shape ( Fig. 37). Western Antalya: northern outliers of the Ak Dağlar ............................................................................................... G. akiana nov.sp.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Thetypelocalityissituatedin the northern outliers of the Ak Dağlar, western Antalya. The specimens were collected in a montane steppe at an altitude of approximately 1630 m, by sifting the litter from cushion plants, partly near snow (SCHÜLKE, pers. comm).